It is surprising that four apparently functional SNPs should fix in a population within 10 hours of exposure to antibiotic in our experiment. A detailed understanding of the order in which the SNPs occur is essential, but it is unlikely that the four SNPs emerged simultaneously; in all likelihood they are sequential. The device and data we have described here offer a template for exploring the rates at which antibiotic resistance arises in the complex fitness landscapes that prevail in the mammalian body. Furthermore, our study provides a framework for exploring rapid evolution in other contexts such as cancer.

Multi-site mutations, functional mutations, 4 in TEN HOURS that replace within the population (~20 generations), why sequential mutations are functional, and more likely, and with medical applications.

--------------"Science is the horse that pulls the cart of philosophy."